Fairey Swordfish Mk1

The Fairey Swordfish, the legendary 'Stringbag', was a Torpedo, Spotter, Reconnaissance biplane dive-bomber which went into service with the Fleet Air Arm pre-war in 1936. Initially, the Swordfish operated from the large fleet carriers. Later it operated from escort carriers, and were very effective against U-boats. The nickname 'Stringbag' indicated the versatility of the Swordfish, which could carry an unlikely combination of loads, but also referred to its jungle of bracing wires, which belonged to a past age. The Swordfish remained operational until the end of the war, gaining the distinction of being the last biplane to see active service. The Airfix kit contains a folding wing option.